The Survivor
by alimination602
Summary: Patrick searches the Ozymandias Storage Deck for the Life Sign.


The Survivor

"_At first it seemed like a routine mission. We board the derelict ship, search for survivors, find out what happened, and get back out. No problem. What we faced when we arrived however, was not what any of us had expected. _

_As soon as we dropped in system all hell broke loose. The Ozymandias, a derelict ship abandoned for over three hundred years, opened fire on us, completely obliterating the Seyfert and our only hope of escape. As soon as we entered the ship things took a turn for the worst. A gigantic mutant dinosaur appeared out of no where, killed McCoy, and was then eaten alive itself by a colony of mutant snakes._

_So there we were, trapped on a derelict ship which had been drifting for 300 years, being chased by a horde of deranged monsters thirsting for prey, and commanded by an rampant computer program known only to us as MTHR. But this, I think, was to be the strangest occurrence I had seen since I set foot on the Ozymandias"_

"There's a life form?" Sonya loomed over the control panel. She tapped the commands, checking and re-checking to ensure the reading was correct.

"What do you mean 'There's a life form'?" Captain Jacob stepped beside her, eager to assess to validity of her findings.

"There" Sonya projected a ship-wide map on the central projector, each sector colour coded to the corresponding to the accompanying key. She tapped the controls once again, zooming in on the centre of the ship, an area marked 'Storage Sector'. She pointed to a flashing light on the hologram "Right there, there's a human life form"

"You are sure?" Jacob asked, not willing to risk the safety of his team if there was even the slightest chance they were not going find anything.

"I am positive" Sonya was the team's tech specialist, nothing ever steered her wrong.

Patrick could not believe there really was a living human on this ship after three hundred years, especially with all those mutant dinosaurs roaming around. But this was far too good of an opportunity to pass up. "I'll check it out" Patrick readied his assault rifle with a crack of metal against metal, turning towards the steps leading out of the bridge. If there really was a life form there, that would mean the first rounds on Jacob when they got back home.

Patrick activated the door controls. As the bulkhead doors slid away he brought his assault rifle up tight against his chest, ready to fire if need be. A dimly lit corridor lay before him, and a dark corridor easily concealed secrets, dangerous secrets. Patrick activated his spotlight, scanning for any potential threat. But as his spotlamp illuminated the dark corners of the room he noticed a bright glow in the centre of the corridor. He raised his gun sharply, pinning the sight on the target, focusing on a white patch hanging within the shadows, glowing with the bright light reflected from his spotlamp.

It was a girl. She wore a knee length white dress and a silver backpack. "Are you a survivor?" Patrick asked, lowering his weapon as not too scare her. The girl turned around sharply to face him, her purple hair fluttering up with the movement. Her expression was that or pure terror. "Don't worry, I'm here to help" He tried to say in his most comforting and professional tone. It didn't work.

She answered him with a weak shake of her head, turning and running down the corridor without a word. "Dammit" Patrick cursed in annoyance, setting off in chase after her. It was just goanna be one of those days. At least there was one consolation; he wasn't paying for the first round of drinks.

So far this mystery survivor had lead him on quite the chase, resulting in him charging for his life out of the Storage Sector with a deadly fire ball on his tail before the entire section was ejected into space. And now he was stuck scouring through the deserted Shaft Sector, attempting to find any sign of his elusive find. But like most hidden finds, they always appeared in the last place you looked. The metallic doors parted as Patrick stepped inside, scanning the area with his rifle raised.

What lay before him was a large platform in the entre of the circular room, covered by an assorted array of smaller platforms. The girl he saw in the Storage Area was in the centre of the room, her head buried in her hands as a gentle sob escaped her lips. The reason for her crying became apparent, a herd of Algol's were roaming free across the platforms, mandibles twitching with excitement, electrified horns sparking arcs of thunderous electricity in anticipation of fresh prey.

Patrick fired his weapon into the flock, the rounds slicing into the armoured hide of the closest creature, not punching through enough muscle to have much of an effect, but more than enough to gain the attention of every creature in the room. He fired his jetpack, hammering towards the creatures, rifle letting loose with a flurry of rounds into the enemies.

Two dropped quickly, but the others that had yet too feel the sharp pain of bullets cutting through their flesh turned to face him, their razor sharp teeth glistening menacingly, ready to dine on fresh meat. The power on his jetpack gave out, he dropped to the floor. One of the Dino's snapped for him, he dodged the quick attack with ease, letting loose with another flurry of rounds into the side of the creatures exposed head. The rounds tore through the creatures tough skull, what emerged on the other side along with the hand full of rounds which had punctured all the way through was a mixture of moist brain matter, shattered bone and other substances Patrick would prefer not to have to identify.

Letting his attention become focused entirely on the first Dino allowed the second one too circle behind him, lunging at his exposed back, there was no time to retaliate. The Dino's jaws clamped tightly around his armoured shoulder, the electrified organ on its head sending powerful sparks of electricity through the metal of his armour plating. Patrick cringed at the pain. He threw his armoured elbow backwards as hard as he could, the metal meeting wet flesh with a damp _thack_. He threw it back again and again; attempting to dislodge the Dino but it only caused the creature to tighten its iron grip on Patrick's armour.

Patrick pulled his Assault Rifle to bear, plugging the muzzle of the weapon into the side of the creatures head. He saw the monsters eye open wide, it was smart enough to know what was about to happen, but unfortunately it was in no position to do anything about it. He squeezed the trigger, letting rip with another flood of rounds into the soft bone of the side of the creature's skull.

The dino toppled over, its jaws still be securely fastened around his shoulder blade dragged him down with him, Patrick crashing down onto the floor with great force. When his senses finally returned to him he unhooked the creature's jaws from his armour, letting the carcass drop silently to the floor. He raised to his feet, scanning across the room, no contacts remaining. He turned his attention towards the girl, only to find her already on her feet and running for the door. "Wait!" He cried after her, no use, she was gone. Yeah, it seriously was just going to be one of those days.

Eventually he managed to track her down once again, finally cornering her in what the schematics labelled as the 'Crew Dormitories'. He stepped into one of the rooms, his rifle raised and scanning for potential threats. He found none, only the girl. "What the hell were you doing?" He spoke with a forceful tone. The girl cringed. Force was obviously not the way with this girl. "Look" He lowered his weapon. "Are you okay? How'd you ever survive for 300 years?" The girl turned, her face a mix of fear and sorrow. As though the sight of another human frightened her more than the Dino's. He lowered his weapon; she was obviously going to be of no use in finding out what had happened on this ship the last 300 years.

He looked around the sparse room; he assumed this was her quarters. As he looked towards the far wall he noticed a Cryogenic tube, its surface glowing with a dull blue light, appearing cold to the touch. He noticed a small journal laid out on the desk. He retrieved the tattered book; it mentioned the girls name to be Caren, Caren Velazquez, daughter of Dr. Velazquez who was apparently the head of the HIIIA-Android program.

The HIIIA-Android's were apparently designed to help facilitate the new humans the captain had ordered MTHR to create after the incident with the cosmic rays which killed the ship's crew and lead to the ship becoming stranded for the past 300 years. But what was most interest-

The door wooshed open, Patrick dropped the journal and turned to face the noise, expecting to see some new threat emerging to face him. But instead it was the girl, Caren; she was running out of the door, intent on escaping him while he was distracted. He lowered his weapon, shaking his head in disbelief, but judging from how the day had started, this was what he'd come to expect.

"Hold up" Patrick grabbed her arm, finally got you. She twirled around to face him. "What's wrong with you?" Carens face was struck by fear. Patrick released his grip, looking to the floor. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you"

Caren raised her gaze, trails of fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. She threw her arms around Patrick, clutching him tightly and nuzzling her face in his chest. He softly put his arms around her, attempting to comfort her in the same way his mother had when he was young. Patrick decided to indulge in their surroundings noticing that the room's walls seemed to be covered by images of the Sol system which surrounded the ship. He finally broke the silence that threatened to consume them like the empty void around them.

"You remind me of my sister" He reached into his belt and retrieved the photo he always kept with him. "I always keep this with me"

Caren removed her face from his chest, staring intently at the picture. "She's beautiful" She spoke for the first time since Patrick had found her, her voice sweet and tranquil.

"We were very close" He returned the picture too his belt, staring into Carens face, her expression softened from the fear and anguish he had seen before. She leaned her head on his shoulder, listening to his soft heartbeat, letting it comfort her. "I couldn't save her, but I feel I must protect you"

Caren looked into his trusting eyes. She knew he was sincere. "I want you to help me too"


End file.
